Jas Sum Kral Zlatno Sonce Soloman

[Don Fernando]

Jas Sum Kral took the social media by storm and the Red Knight was a super hit amongst boutique brand cigars, and the follow up, the Zlatno Sonce was a hit too, even with me and I dislike Connecticut Shade cigars with a passion. But yet, I am going to try this 7×58 Jas Sum Kral Zlatno Sonce Soloman limited edition, made for brand owner Riste’s yearly cigar weekend Ristevari, even though the box arrived at my doorstep today, so no rest, right of the truck.

The first cigars were made at the factory of Noel Rojas but under the supervision of Roniel Aragon. Now I don’t know what happened but Roniel left Tabacalera NOA, Riste left there some time later and now Roniel is making JSK in his new factory Tabacalera Aragon S.A., this is the first cigar that I smoke that comes out of that factory. Riste told me that the blend is a twist on the regular Zlatno Sonce blend, with a little tobacco from the Somoto canyon in Nicaragua as an added flavor. And rumor is that this blend might be used for the core line too. Somoto is an unknown area in Nicaragua, at the bottom of the canyon is one farm, owned by Carlos Javier Garcia Pereda. Riste and his partner Roniel Aragon visited the farm, late 2017, loved the leaf so much that they used it for the Soloman and maybe we will see more of the Somoto tobacco surface soon.

The cigar looks good, the wrapper is shiny, almost lacquered even though I dislike the yellow brown color. The ring is amazing, made by the Singaporean designer Nuzli Hakiim, is one of the best in the business. Very detailed, white and gold, lions, crest, just simply beautiful. The construction feels great, a really well made cigar. Since the cigars rested for 8 months before they got send to me I can’t smell any ammonia anymore, just a full smell of mud and hay.

I cut the cigar to find a perfect cold draw, spicy, peppery raisins. After lichting I taste a mild coffee with hay. After an inch I taste spice and herbs with a little buttery, meaty undertone. There is no hint of the mustiness that I usually get from Connecticut Shade. And the cigar is strong too for a Connecticut. Halfway I do taste it a little though but with spices and sweetness, I also taste some licorice. The final third also gets a hint of vanilla. Pepper shows up and it’s getting strong too.

The draw is great. The light gray ash is firm with beautiful layers. The white is a little thin. The burn is straight as can be. The cigar is medium full bodied, the strongest Connecticut Shade I ever smoked. The smoke time is two hours.

Would I buy this cigar again? Love the blend, this vitola unfortunately is a limited edition.

Score: 92

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